J&J MedTech India, Karkinos joins hands to upskill cancer care health professionals

Mumbai: About 20 lakh new cancer cases were reported in India last year, while the actual occurrence is considered to be 1.5-3 times higher, states a FICCI report. To make quality cancer treatment accessible and affordable for everyone, Johnson & Johnson MedTech India is joining hands with Karkinos Healthcare, an end-to-end technology platform, to pursue opportunities in upskilling healthcare professionals in cancer care.

Access to specialised care from oncologists is significantly constrained in India. The country has a shortfall of over 3000 medical oncologists and 800 surgical oncologists. To bridge the gap, Johnson & Johnson has been investing in upskilling surgeons through its physical and mobile institutes, and tie-ups with Centres of Excellence. The partnership aims to combine this digital learning methodology with Karkinos’ expertise in enabling hospitals in setting up comprehensive cancer care systems. Together, both organisations will develop futuristic programmes and infrastructure for the skill upgradation of healthcare professionals in a variety of capacities and capabilities needed for comprehensive cancer treatment.

Sandeep Makkar, Managing Director, Johnson & Johnson MedTech India said, “India has the third largest burden of cancer globally. The lack of advanced laboratories, scanning & radiotherapy centres and onco-specialists in remote regions add to the suffering of patients, who travel to bigger cities for treatment. This leads to added expenditure & breaks, along with delays & discontinuation of follow-up treatment, resulting in higher fatalities. Through our collaboration with Karkinos, we aim to upskill healthcare professionals in tier 2-3 cities in advanced methods of cancer diagnosis and treatment.”

Dr R Venkataramanan, Founder and CEO, Karkinos Healthcare said, “Oncology is a domain where significant information and knowledge asymmetries persist despite best efforts, resulting in poor patient outcomes. There is a significant need to upskill and reskill professionals across the care continuum in order to take cancer care to the community. This partnership with Johnson & Johnson MedTech India will chart a new path for high-quality learning, especially in surgical skills with the latest techniques that the world has to offer. We look forward to setting up this one-of-a-kind training academy bringing together our platform capabilities and Johnson & Johnson's advanced training content and experience.”

The complementary strengths of both Johnson & Johnson MedTech India and Karkinos Healthcare will set the pace for the revolutionisation of cancer treatment in India. It will go a long way in bridging the need gap in quality patient care.